Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Psychoanalyst by profession, Joshua Aguayo was born in Quito, Ecuador. Since his very youth, he showed an interest in science fiction and high fantasy. His passion for elves and warp drives would eventually breed together with the traditionally grim artstyle of his latin american upbringing into an amalgam that carved itself a home in the neon-lit streets of the cyberpunk genre.

Drugs, an attitude, and an impassioned relationship with her best female friend are the only things Samantha Thorn has left. Forced to keep a facade of normality by the very mega-corporation that executed her father for delving into the arcane, and on the brink of mercy suicide, Sam will embark on an ordeal set against dystopic hispanic locales to rescue the only family she has left, with little regard for the corporate thugs and street gang politics that will stand in her way.

A tantalizing adventure, The Lost Thorn takes on the traditional pillars of cyberpunk and shatters them with a fresh gush of inspired and playful narrative. Fast-paced and grim, this book and its characters scramble the contrasts of the modern world, a testament to the crumbling norms of a society where both body and mind have become mere tools for absolute markets.

1.What inspired you to write The Lost Thorn?

I'm the kind of writer that begins with
a character, rather than with a story. I remember Samanth was the fist thing
that came to my mind, she was at the same time a reflection of myself and a
character inspired by many girls in my life. The idea I had for her, along with
a passion for magic and science fiction, eventually mixed together to come up
with the setting and story behind The Lost Thorn.

2.What was the development process like?

One of my favorite writers is
Gabriel García Marquez.
When I started writing and I was trying to find a “rhythm” for my own writing I
read an interview he had, where he was asked this same question. And the answer
he gave inspired me and stuck with me ever since. He used the word 'ruminate'
to describe his writing, and that's the same way I would describe my own
creative process. When I have an idea, I spend a long time just 'thinking'
about that idea, ruminating. It can be anywhere from a few days to weeks or
even months, until one day I just sit down and write for extremely long amounts
of time, until those thoughts are depleted and the process starts all over
again.

3.Did you do any kind of research for this book?

Yes, lots. That 'ruminating' phase
includes research too, which for The Lost Thorn implied traveling around my
city, learning about the customs of my own people and those who lived before
me, and of course, reading the “big names” of the genre I was aiming for,
namely titles like “Neuromancer” or “Do androids dream of electric sheep?”

4.This is an interesting story. What genre would
you put this in?

I like to say it's a “Cyberpunk” story.
However I usually classify it in the broader “Science Fiction” category, simply
because I did take some liberties when writing the story in my own personal
style and when setting it against a Latin American locale.

5.What do you hope readers will gain from your
book?

Mainly I hope they will have a good time
and a couple of laughs.I think The Lost Thorn is a
novel with heavy social commentary. I also think it could be explored from a
psychoanalytical point of view, through the eyes of madness and sanity. I also
think it's a political
critique and a literary blend of fantasy and science fiction. However all this
is just me, and the reader might aswell ignore all that and just enjoy
Samantha's terrible puns. I think that's the beauty of literature: You don't
take what the author wants you to take, you take what you want to take. So all
I want is that my readers enjoy their read.

6.What do you like best and what do you like least
about being a writer?

What I like best has to be having an
excuse to learn about many different topics, travel to the strangest of places
or try the weirdest of things. What I like the least is probably how hard it is
to put something “out there”. I think that what I like the least is the
“business” part of it, where you try to market and sell the product of your
effort.

7.Who are some of your favorite authors?

García Marquez as I said earlier, Jim
Butcher, Akira Toriyama, If you count mangakas, William Gibson, Ragnar Tonquist
and Oscar Wilde, are some of my favorite.

8.If your book would be turned into a movie, who
would you imagine playing the part of the main character? (Actor can be ANYONE,
living or dead.)

Oh this is a tough question… When I
daydream about it… (That's not weird, is it?) I usually imagine The Lost Thorn
as an animation, rather than as a feature film. But I if was a live action
film, I'd say maybe someone like Chloe Moretz or the girl from David Fincher's “The
girl with the dragon tattoo”. I know they are diametrically different actors,
but I think each would be able to portray Samantha in a different light.

9.Are you working on anything right now?

Yes. I'm working on the second novel in
the series and I'm also working on a startup company to help local authors from Ecuador put their books
online.

10.And, finally, what do you think is in store for
the future of Latino literature?

Ah… This may be the hardest question. I
don't know to be honest. I feel like there are two strong “currents” for Latin
American literature. One that sticks to the classics. To the style of authors
like Cortazar or Borges. And one that is moving towards the alluring stream of
globalization and trying to fit in the global market a la Bestsellers like
Harry Potter or Hunger Games. I think that both are valid and I think that only
time will tell where we end up.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

I have a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Math. I worked in a highly technical area called the Proton Storage Ring at Los Alamos Nat'l Laboratory where I was awarded a staff member position based on my merit of high achievement. I went on to have a career in the IT world as a database consultant in Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles CA. I enjoy reading and especially writing. I paint and play the piano. I am very creative. You can go to SoundCloud search for Natalie Keshing. Each recording is my writing for inspirational purposes. I do all the voices as a raconteur, Todo the dog in She and Todo.

The Book: We Begin...

She waited for him. Not because she loved him but because she was scared of him and what she was contemplating.

He walked in through the kitchen door wearing his black short sleeved turtleneck and his dark sunglasses. Olive skinned, handsome, slender and buff. Staggering a bit towards her, wanting to give her a kiss.

The smell of his breath was nauseating. Mr. Playboy full of charm and not much more than that. She turned her face away from him. She rejected him and he felt that deep inside. His succorance for affection rejected. Now asking about the baby.

1.What inspired you to write Resilience in Curls?

I had always wanted
to write a great book. I signed unto Twitter over a year and half ago and I
became very interested in writing. I started writing short stories, then
verses, then poems, then a blog and now a book. During this time I extended my
vocabulary. I learned to write poetry. I am now a well respected poet in the
community of poets at the @thewritelist . I wanted to write a novel. I already
had in mind a fictional story. Then I thought about my life and all the
challenges I faced growing up in my family; hispanic. I speak Spanish. Despite
all the challenges I faced growing up I knew that my education was going to be
a pivotal point in my life. So it’s really an inspiring story through all the
challenges and milestones I faced and accomplished. I am very proud of this
book.

2.This book has a mixture of story and poetry. Why did
you write it this way?

When I started to
write the short verses immediately people were drawn to them because they
always contained a bit of truth in all of them. These weren’t poems of a
whimsical and musing nature. Mine were more raw, straight to the point. An
example

Gilded Are the
Hearts Of Specious

A Long Journey Of
Suffering

Preserve Your
Heart’s Longing

Sustain In The
Present and Breath!

A Clash Of Minds Spiraling Down

Time is The Pain Killer For The
Broken Hearted

Long Past Bye For Now

Broken Untamed Spirits

Never Stay Long, It is a New Day!

The Affinity Of Our
Attraction

Now Joining The Rest

Flowing Down A Murky
River

It’s The Last Of Our
Affection

Turned Into A Dry
Mud.

So I formed the Poem
of Verses at the end of each week where I responded to various prompts from
various Poetverses prompts. There were9
short stories I made up and wanted to relate to the verses and share. Then when
I decided to write the book I realized that I had a verse for most of the
pivotal points in my life.

3.What was the hardest part about writing this book?

Editing it. There
was a raw draft I wrote initially. I started crafting my own style of writing and
how I wanted to present this book. There were at least 4 editing
processes.

4.What are some of the main issues that you explore in
this book and why did you explore them?

The book starts from
the age of four and almost immediately I was exposed to alcoholism, abuse, and
neglect. I am very descriptive of these challenges and how they affect us since
we are small and basically our whole life. Many child abuse victims keep all
this hidden for years we suppress to survive. It doesn’t surface until you are facing
someone elses challenges; as in a marriage or relationship. When you find
someone you love or you think you love we expect that person to fix all the
insecurities and abandonment issues we might have. Eventually, at some point
all child abuse victims do start to face the dysfunctional experiences they
were exposed to during those years. At this point many continue to shuffle it
under the carpet; keep a lid on it; deny it; pretend it didn’t happen. Most do
it to keep the parents and the family unit intact; in a superficial way. I did
that for many years until I got really sick. Then I realized that I needed to
address these issues and face them for what they were. I have faced death three
times in my life. At these pivotal points everything changed; I changed. I
wasn’t going to pretend anymore and most importantly I refused to continue let
people that have no respect for me mistreat me. My health was the number one
concern and I cleaned out the cobwebs in my closet. I chose to survive and
distance myself from my mother and stepfather and other family members.

5.What do you hope readers will gain from your book?

Confidence,
Inspiration, education and purpose. I really think this book can be very
beneficial to the younger generation. Those who are confused about their
circumstances and feel repressed. There is a way out. Despite the treatment of
Josie and Mike I actually was born with a lot of confidence and gumption. I
never lacked in those two virtues. I knew what I was capable of accomplishing;
despite all the odds that were against me. But I did have teachers and
professors who inspired me and believed in me. Education is usually the answer
to most of us who want a better life. You have to focus and make up your mind
that for that period of time you will remain disciplined and persevere to earn
that degree; diploma.

Finding your purpose
may take a little longer to discover. I went through various stages of my life
that I did different things. I taught myself to paint, I took piano lessons as
an adult and I wanted so deeply to do this as a child but that wasn’t offered
to me because of my circumstances being a stepdaughter. My stepfather saved for
a college education for my younger brother because he was Mike’s real son.
Mike’s DNA gave life to my brother. So I was treated very differently and
didn’t get to go to a private school and didn’t have any money they saved for
my education. This fact is expressed in the book.

6.What do you like best and what do you like least about
being a writer?

It’s a creative
process during those moments where you know this story will ring true to many.
That feels pretty darn good.

It’s hard to write
when something is bothering you in your personal life or you have an emotional
block and you know the creative process is wobbling by.Usually at that point you shouldn’t force
yourself to write. I meditate and always try to be in the present which I have
a noted in my book and explained a small exercise to bring your attention down
to zero. No external thoughts, stress, or pressure. I learned this process
facing my first life threatening diagnoses Carolis. Then it helped me when I
was diagnosed with cancer and just recently during a life threatening Sepsis
infection that I was hospitalized for.

7.Who are some of your favorite authors?

Hemingway.
Jeanette Walls. Writers that are willing to tell the truth. Writers that are
very descriptive. Writers that are great listeners.

8.If your book would be turned into a movie, who would
you imagine playing the part of the main character? (Actor can be ANYONE,
living or dead.)

I would either play
my mother or my grandmother. I would prefer my grandmother. She and my
grandfather were the ones I ultimately bonded with. Who were kind to me. But if
you have time go to SoundCloud and search for Natalie Keshing, I do all the
voices in my scenes and recordings. The Jane and Blanche trio, these three
scenes are pretty surprising. I also did Todo the dog in Wizard of Oz in one of
my recordings. I can do a lot of accents and change my voice.

As for playing Lorie
I haven’t really thought of anyone but I would definitely want a Latina
actress. I want to represent my culture.

9.Are you working on anything right now?

I have 3 stories.
One is called “The Darkest Of Night” it’s about two serial killers who are
brothers. I’ve only written maybe a quarter of it or less. I also wanted to do
a children’s book trilogy, more like a Harry Potter genre about three
delightful Trolls. My favorite character in that story is Hannah Hawkins who is
very eccentric but the trolls start having a lot of fun with her and are
mystified by her presence. They are about two and half feet tall and boy are
they challenging. The third is about a clandestine affair which violates a bond
within the family. I won’t say now who it is. We’ll just have to wait.

10.And, finally, what do you think is in store for the
future of Latino literature?

I think that
eventually we will become part of the bigger market and I hope that there are
more opportunities for Latino people to balance the entertainment
business.

Truthfully I would
like to become the Meryl Streep of the Latina actresses where I can play
different parts and older parts. Open the doors for more Latino actors.Jane Powell a very good actress, she looks
Latina but she’s English. Therefore, she gets a lot of roles. Unfortunately if
you have an accent you get typecast in the entertainment business. I don’t have
an accent and I enjoy doing other accents. Actresses like Selma Heyak and
Penelope Cruz probably have been typecast because of their accents. I am 55
years young. But with good genes. I am a fashionista. I like to dress classy
with elegance. There is one of mydichos
in one of my chapters referring to this.

I just want to say
thank you so much for this opportunity to express myself about my book that for
many reasons I wrote it the way I did to capture a wider audience but still
included my Spanish heritage and language. I lived in Los Angeles for 10 years
and our only child a son stayed behind. He is pretty successful. We just had
our first granddaughter born. Her name is Natalie Aubrey. I added the Keshing.
The Keshing family is in two of the short stories. They’re sisters Natalie and
Aubrey. Don’t miss this family they are quite humorous. Thank you and have a
splendid day.

I started all this
on twitter as @renaissanceangl now I have @natswritings and @aubreyswriting.
The Renaissance name came from an very good writer and friend of mine. She
called me a renaissance woman.I Love
Life!!! Yeah!!!